Christmas Around Our Home 2017
While my kids would have loved for us to truly douse the house in Christmas everything, I prefer a lighter touch when it comes to Christmas decorating. In fact, I’ve already donated 5 bags of stuff this month because all the extra decor out for Christmas is making me twitchy. My closets are looking nice and tidy though! The mantel in the living room we never use is decorated with some greenery, ceramic trees and one of my favorite projects of all time – a DIY wood dove. I can see the mantel from the doorway though, so it’s not a complete waste. I made a wreath from yard clippings for…
Christmas Tree 2017
I was gung-ho to decorate for Christmas this year. Then I opened the Christmas boxes stuffed with holiday decor. I looked at all the glitz and glitter and did not feel that burst of fa-la-la-magic. Instead, I felt like a tall, curly-haired grinch. Minus the green complexion. However, the kids were excited to douse the house in Christmas everything! Even though I FELT like a grinch, I didn’t want to BE a grinch. So we blasted Christmas music and got to work spreading holiday cheer around the house. I set the Christmas tree up in the living room in front of the big window. Then I just looked at it…
Happy List: #51
10 days until Christmas! Are you ready? Or are you fa-la-la-la-frazzled? I’m feeling pretty solid. Or as solid as I can be hoping the items I ordered show up on time! This week I finally (a whole 11 days into the month) shared something Christmas-y with you. On Monday it was window shopping in Ireland to see how Irish retailers get in the Christmas spirit. Spoiler alert: no grinches here! On Wednesday I shared the ornaments I made out of my son’s wood blocks. Apparently, nothing is safe in this house from one of my crafty ideas. I’ve got some good stuff for you on today’s Happy List! I do…
Turn Building Blocks Into Christmas Ornaments
Some people do crossword puzzles to keep their brain sharp. I constantly thinking of ways to repurpose items in our home. Totally the same, right? Hmm. The latest idea was to turn my kids’ natural wood building blocks into Christmas ornaments. Why?? Let me explain… One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the artwork my kids bring home from school. I’ve saved some of it and every year when I open the holiday boxes and see something they made with their cute little toddler (now big kid) hands, I melt into a pile of mom goo. This is one of my favorite pieces of foot-made handmade artwork. If…
Living in Ireland: Christmas in Retail 2017
We are counting down the days until we celebrate our second Christmas living in Ireland! Last year I didn’t know what to expect as far as the holidays go and I was pleasantly surprised to see that everyone – including retailers – really get into the Christmas spirit here. This makes sense given the heavy Catholic influence in Ireland. There is no “buffer holiday” between Halloween and Christmas in Ireland, so the holiday decorations starting going up in early November. As an example of how early festivities start, the tree lighting event in our town was on November 18. Santa arrived on a Harley Davidson (why not?) to turn on…
Happy List: #50
Does anyone else still have holiday boxes and decor strewn EVERYWHERE around their home? I’m seeing homes beautifully decorated for Christmas ALL OVER social media and I’m like, “Hey! Is this a candy cane from last year?” *sigh* The tree is up though. It’s halfway decorated. As is the mantel. I made some wreaths and I keep moving them around because I can’t decide where I want them. I just liked making them! So, basically, I’ve totally got it together in the holiday decorating department. On a less melodramatic note, on Monday I shared our trip to Blarney Castle! I’m glad we finally made it over there. On Wednesday I…
Refinish Wood Chairs Without Power Tools
That’s right! We did indeed refinish our wood dining chairs without the help of power tools! I know what you’re thinking. No. We are not gluttons for punishment. Well, not in this case, anyway. Have we lost our marbles? Possibly a few of them, but not from this project. Refinishing the chairs was less of a big deal than I thought it was going to be. This is often the case with things I procrastinate on doing, by the way. Since we only refinished the seats and left the legs and backs alone, the process didn’t take as long as I thought it would. Thank goodness – since we use these…
Visiting Ireland: Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle
I finally kissed the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle! Cross that one off the Travel Bucket List! According to legend, I should be exceptionally eloquent now…but, I think I’m still waiting for the ol’ magic to kick in. Oh well. Our family visited Blarney Castle on a cold, rainy November day. It was fantastic! Truly. I could have done without the rain, but then it wouldn’t be Ireland! History: The original Blarney Castle was a wooden structure dating back to the 10th century. It’s long since gone. The stone castle you will see on your visit is the third structure on the site and it was built by Cormac McCarthy,…
Happy List: #49
Well, hello to you and December too! It’s good to be back blogging this week, but we really enjoyed our time with friends over Thanksgiving! I’ll tell you about the new places we visited in Ireland soon. This week I shared a list of board games we’ve been playing together as a family. These are games that EVEN ME as a non-game player enjoy. Wednesday was the third installment in the Would I Make It Again series featuring Apple Fritter Muffins. If you like Apple Fritters or are curious about what I would do if a muffin gets stuck in the pan, I suggest reading that post. Here’s what’s on…
Would I Make it Again? Apple Fritter Muffins
When I was a little girl, my Uncle Donny owned a doughnut shop. I can still remember the sweet smell of the shop, the flour smudges on my uncle’s all white uniform and, of course, the sweet treats. Looking back, I’m sure it was anything but glamorous to be up in the wee hours of the morning making bear claws, maple bars and apple fritters. But, oh, the deliciousness! Fast forward let’s not talk about how long to a couple of weeks ago when my landlord gifted me a bag of apples from the tree in her backyard. Tart green apples that were perfect for baking. That’s my kind of…
